A number of devices exist to provide location information indicating the location of a device. Different methods may be used by such systems to determine a device's location. For example, positioning methods can determine a location of a target device from measurements by the target device of known external signal sources, such as global positioning system (GPS) satellites or wireless communication network base stations. These measurements may enable the current absolute location of the target device to be obtained, for example its precise latitude, longitude and altitude.
If a target device is unable to measure signals from external sources, and network entities are unable to measure enough signals from the target device, it may not be possible to obtain the location of the target device, and/or to obtain the location within a required response time. Such cases may occur when there are physical obstructions between the target device and the external signal sources and/or network entities, for example, when a target device is inside a building or tunnel, outside in a dense urban environment, or very distant from terrestrial external radio sources and network entities.
When a location of a mobile device is known, that location may be used to locate nearby peripheral devices. In indoor environments in particular, a mobile device may desire to locate nearby peripheral devices that may be used by the mobile device, such as printers, projection screens, etc. Improved techniques are desired for identifying and communicating with such peripheral devices.